What communication technology do toys use to communicate wirelessly?

[matrixofdynamism]

For year now we have had many different toys, boats, aeroplanes, cars and much more that are controlled through a wireless controller with a very long antenna. What communication technology do these toys use? Is it AM, FM, PSK of some sort or something else and what type of frequency do they usually use?

 

[FvM]

Long antenna refers to short wave band. In the ETSI domain, we have 27, 35 and 40.6 MHz channels assigned for RC applications. 35 and 40.6 MHz are not available for toy control under FCC.

 

[BradtheRad]

They are radio-controlled. You hold the sending unit. The receiver is in the vehicle.

Newer systems use FM. I once had an older system which was AM.

The control signals consist of brief gaps in the carrier transmission. The length of the gap varies from 1 to 2 milliseconds. This is translated into a command pulse to the servos. Servos are ingenious little motorized devices that can be positioned precisely. They move the rudder, steering, throttle, etc.

Frequency band allocation has changed over the years. If you operate r/c toys then your equipment has to comply with local regulations.